Dauphin County shares plans for Detweiler Park improvements, amenities

September 21, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Dauphin County officials shared plans for Detweiler Park on Thursday.

On a sunny Thursday, Dauphin County and state officials gathered in a local park to announce some nature news.

The county shared its plans to develop Detweiler Park, in Middle Paxton Township, to include improved access and amenities for visitors.

“Middle Paxton Township has benefitted greatly from having such a beautiful piece of land here and stands to benefit so much more in the years to come,” said Rep. Joe Kerwin (R-125), at Thursday’s press conference. “It’s the perfect, central location for a county park.”

In 2016, the county was gifted the 411 acres of parkland by the previous owners, the Detweiler family. For the past several years, county officials have developed plans to make improvements to the park and completed a master plan for the area in 2021.

Starting in the spring, construction to create a new entryway and parking lot for the park will begin. The county is working with PennDOT to add more turning lanes on Peters Mountain Rd. for easier and safer access to the park. There will also be new bathroom facilities, a pavilion for visitors and an event field.

That work will likely be complete by the end of 2024, according to the county’s Director of Parks and Recreation Anthea Stebbins.

Additionally, in the coming years, a new ADA-accessible 1.4-mile loop trail will be added to the park, and meadow restoration work will take place. Detweiler will be the first of the county’s eight parks to include a wheelchair-accessible trail, officials shared.

There are also plans to add more trails and possibly to use an old airplane hangar and barn onsite, donated along with the land, as space for a farmers market.

The $3.4 million project will use $1 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, another $1 million from a state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant and additional funding from other state partners.

Detweiler Park can currently be accessed at the Dauphin County Conservation District office parking lot at 1451 Peters Mountain Rd.

For more information, visit the county’s website.

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Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

September 21, 2023 | by Sara Bozich

Plan your weekend with my weekly list of things to do around Harrisburg and central PA!

What you’ll find:

For something new: Hershey native and TikTok star Warren Zeiders: Pretty Little Poison Tour at XL Live’s outdoor stage (pack that poncho!) Worth noting: It’s Week 2 of Harrisburg Restaurant Week. HYP Home Tour. Saturday is National Public Lands Day, which also kicks off Health Lands Week in Pennsylvania! Tap here to learn how to participate! Pizzeria Luca opens this week in Lancaster. Things on my agenda this weekend: nada. In need of some serious R&R.

For your weekend(ish) planning

See Broken Social Scene on Sept. 26; win tickets to see Margo Price on Sept. 28
🎧 My latest playlist
The Best Farmers Markets around Harrisburg
How to help the Broad Street Market and its displaced vendors
See what else you missed on the blog

Below are options for your weekend.

A Look Ahead

Harvest Hop in Downtown Camp Hill is Sept. 30
Fall Music Syllabus – Harrisburg University Presents September Lineup
Theatre Preview: Oyster Mill Playhouse
Fall Finds at Market on Market in Camp Hill
The next SoMa Block Party is Sept. 28
Submit your events for the Weekend Roundup

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Front Street apartment project able to break ground despite initial resistance from City Council

September 20, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Site of the proposed project on the 2700-block of N. Front Street

A project to construct an apartment building on N. Front Street in Harrisburg can now move forward.

A land development plan for the 2700-block of N. Front St. was automatically approved by Harrisburg City Council, after the deadline to vote on the apartment project expired on Sept. 15.

The project, proposed by New Jersey-based EI Realty, includes demolishing two office buildings on the property and constructing a 21-unit modern-style apartment building.

Council originally voted, 5-2, against the proposal in May, with several council members voicing concern with the project’s lack of affordable housing. However, a week later, council approved a motion to reconsider the proposal, which essentially erased their previous vote.

The building plan consists of two-bedroom and one-bedroom units located at 2709 and 2717 N. Front St., according to Adam Kerr, vice president of the Harrisburg-based architect EI Associates, an entity affiliated with the developer. The units will rent at market rate. At a previous council meeting, representatives for the project said that they would not be interested in offering affordable units, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Council President Danielle Bowers told TheBurg that council decided to reconsider the proposal, based on the potential “legal ramifications” of denying the application, which conformed to city building code standards.

Following the reconsideration, the developer agreed to two extensions to the deadline for council’s re-vote. The latter has since expired, deeming the project approved, Bowers told TheBurg.

According to Bowers, council has not met with the developer since initially denying the application, and she does not believe that the proposal has changed to include affordable units.

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Voting locations changing for three wards in Dauphin County

September 20, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda

Some Harrisburg-area voters will need to venture to a new polling place to cast their ballots in the November general election.

Dauphin County announced today a change for three polling locations, two in the city and one just outside.

For Harrisburg’s 11th ward, residents now will vote at Tri-County OIC at 500 Maclay St. Previously, they voted at the Governor’s Square Community Room, 2018 N. 5th St. According to the county, the location was moved due to “the present owners’ ongoing legal situation,” as the complex’s owners currently are in bankruptcy.

For Harrisburg’s 13th ward, residents now will vote at the Salvation Army, 506 S. 29th St. Previously, they voted at Holy Family Church, 555 S. 25th St. The move is being made because the church has been sold and, therefore, is no longer available as a polling place, according to the county.

Just outside the city, for Susquehanna Township’s 3rd Ward, residents now will vote at Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church, 2400 Locust Lane. Previously, they voted at Grace Fellowship, 2415 Locust Lane.The change was made because the prior location was not ADA-compliant, according to the county.

“As this is a hilly terrain, there were few sites that could be considered, and the very real possibility of having to move this polling place outside of the Edgemont community was a serious concern for the Board of Elections and Bureau,” said Jerry Feaser, Dauphin County’s director of elections and voter registration. “However, Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church has recently constructed a new and ADA-compliant site directly across the street from the present site, enabling this polling place to remain in Edgemont.”

The bureau will issue new voter cards to all voters in the three election districts to notify them of the polling place change, and voters will receive postcard reminders two weeks prior to the election, according to the county.

This year, Election Day is Nov. 7.

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UPMC officials demonstrated how to administer Narcan during the filming of an upcoming program on Harrisburg’s WHBG20 television station.

Following a weekend marked by a spike in overdoses in Harrisburg, local officials are uniting around prevention efforts.

City and Dauphin County officials gathered on Thursday for a discussion on the recent numerous drug overdoses and how those struggling with addiction can receive help.

The conversation will air on Harrisburg’s TV station, WHBG20, on Friday at 7 p.m.

From this past Friday through Thursday, the Dauphin County 911 Center received 29 overdose calls, with nine of them being fatal. The overdoses are believed to be due to crack cocaine and synthetic drugs that tested positive for fentanyl. Many of the calls came from the downtown and Midtown areas of the city, where a “bad batch” of narcotics circulated, according to Police Commissioner Thomas Carter.

“We’ve always had overdoses, but we haven’t had this many, this sudden at the same time,” Carter said.

The county coroner’s office is still working to officially determine the cause of death in each case.

The fatal overdose victims ranged in age from around 56 to 70 years old, a population that Carter said is older than the overdose victims the police bureau usually encounters. According to Carter, the victims may have used drugs in the past but aren’t used to the potency of many drugs now, and their bodies couldn’t handle the fentanyl.

While people may assume those using and overdosing from drugs are generally younger, those struggling with addiction run the gamut of ages, said Kristin Varner, director of Dauphin County Drug and Alcohol Services.

However, Varner said that she believes, in this case, it doesn’t appear that the victims, most middle-aged or elderly, are people who would typically use opioids.

“Their bodies weren’t ready for it,” she said.

When it comes to reversing an overdose using naloxone, also known as Narcan, according to Carter, time is of the essence.

On Thursday, officials encouraged those with drug addictions, or those who know someone who struggles with addiction, to keep Narcan on hand. The medication, which can reverse an overdose, is available at pharmacies and many area agencies.

The police bureau is currently handing out Narcan for free to any community member in need, no questions asked, according to Carter. People can also access Narcan at Harrisburg-based The RASE Project, located at 100 N. Cameron St., as well as at JFT Recovery and Veterans Support Services, located in Lemoyne. JFT is also distributing fentanyl test strips, which are about 98% accurate at determining if a substance contains fentanyl, Varner said.

In addition to having tools like Narcan and test strips on hand, officials urge those using drugs to have someone with them in case of an overdose.

According to UPMC officials, administering Narcan is easy to do and should cause an immediate positive reaction for the overdose victim. Multiple doses of Narcan may need to be used in some circumstances, they explained.

To help those struggling with addiction, the county offers 24/7 access to recovery services by calling 717-635-2254.

“We need to figure out how we start to talk about harm reduction strategies,” said county Commissioner George Hartwick. “We need to make sure folks who are using are safe on the street today. We have a responsibility to save lives.”

For more information about Dauphin County Drug and Alcohol Services, visit their website.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

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Plan your weekend with my weekly list of things to do around Harrisburg and central PA!

What you’ll find:

For your weekend(ish) planning

A Look Ahead

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

Plan your weekend with my weekly list of things to do around Harrisburg and central PA!

What you’ll find:

For your weekend(ish) planning

A Look Ahead

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

You May Also Like

You May Also Like